1977 and On
First things first, the top priority at Marquette University is education. What comes second to education you might ask? Basketball. Aside from the St. Joan of Arc Chapel, the pride and joy of this University is its Men’s Basketball program. Yet the one thing that is so prevalent everywhere on campus seems to yield so many untold stories. Take, for example, the story behind the uniforms of the 1977 National Championship Team.
“People were always wondering: what are they going to wear next?” said Max McGowan, the Marquette University Sports Information Director from 1969–1971. “Al and Marquette started changing their uniforms every year decades before anyone else, way before Oregon and Michigan. If anyone else changed their uniforms back then, you wouldn’t do that. But Marquette did.”
The “Al” Max McGowan was referring to was legendary basketball coach Al McGuire. He was the man who gave the program a complete facelift when he arrived in 1964. McGuire was an eccentric character who did things no other coach was doing at the time. “He had a barroom philosophy and applied it to coaching.” as McGowan tells it. Al did his best to recruit players for Marquette that mirrored his character and mindset. One of his most notable recruits of that caliber turned out to be none other than Maurice ‘Bo’ Ellis.
Bo Ellis would forever go on to be one of the greatest players in Marquette history — being the only one to have played in two Final Four games and a National Championship. His style and charisma helped create a revolution in the design of the game. A lesser-known fact regarding his style is that he actually designed the jerseys featured in the championship season. Don’t believe me? Check the picture to your left. Those are the famous “Untucked” jerseys that caught the attention of every fan across the country, as well as the NCAA, which banned them on the premise that they gave the University a recruiting advantage.
The statement Marquette made during the four years of the Al and Bo show remains a legacy that lives still thrives on campus. It seems everywhere you walk the University’s motto: “Be The Difference” is spelled out in blue and gold. The jerseys that the Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams currently wear also pay tribute to Bo and feature much of the same colors and stripes. Its a part of the past that makes life at Marquette incredibly unique, and much like the untucked jersey, could be considered a recruiting advantage.
All photos are courtesy of the wonderful people at the Marquette University Special Collections & University Archives. All interviews and facts can be attributed to the ESPN 30 for 30 Short- Untucked, which was directed by Marquette Alum Danny Pudi. The links to both are featured below:
